KIEV, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian parliament on Thursday adopted a bill on the resumption of Ukraine's course towards joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The bill, which secures the membership as a "strategic priority" of Kiev's foreign policy, was backed by 276 out of the 357 lawmakers present in the assembly, said a statement issued on the parliament website.
While commenting on the bill, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze said the course towards NATO membership will facilitate the implementation of the reforms in Ukraine's security, defense, justice and anti-corruption sectors.
"In addition to the ultimate goal of acquiring membership, it will help to unite civil society and government agencies in their efforts on reforming the country according to NATO standards," Klympush-Tsintsadze wrote on her Facebook account.
Meanwhile, Olexandr Vilkul, co-head of Ukraine's Opposition Bloc, said that Ukraine's aspirations to join NATO will bring more troubles than benefits.
"The only effective model for Ukraine, which lies at the crossroads between different systems and civilizations, is the eternal neutrality enshrined in the constitution. Any other way is an eternal confrontation," Vilkul said in a statement.
Ukraine joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1991 shortly after Kiev gained its independence from the former Soviet Union.
In 2003, Ukraine declared a course towards NATO membership, but revoked the policy in 2010, declaring non-aligned status.
Shortly after the conflict between the government troops and pro-independence insurgents broke out in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, the Ukrainian parliament abandoned the country's non-aligned status, paving the way for it to join the military bloc.
